Princess of Power
by star bunny
Summary: Silver Millenium fic based on the first five episodes of the 80's cartoon, She-Ra
1. Chapter 1

  
AN:This is actually the first fic that I ever started to write... For some reason I decided to put this one on hold and work on Rushing In, but now that I'm free from my Rushing In obligations, I decided to work on it again. I don't think that this is as good of a fic as Rushing In was, but it was my first try... what can you expect?   
  
Okay, here's the background on this fic. She-ra was an early 80's cartoon that ran for a while when I was a little girl (so all you youngin's probably won't remember it). She-ra was He-man's twin sister. They both possessed super powers and super strength. They had civilian forms (Adora and Adam, respectively) and it was Adam/He-man who gave Adora her powers as She-ra. I would tell you more, but that would give my plot away. Just know that for this story, Serenity is Adora and Endymion is Adam. They are not brother and sister, for obvious reasons (eewww!). Also, this is taken from the He-man/She-ra special, The Secret of the Sword. If you've seen that, you can guess what's going to happen... come to think of it, even if you haven't seen the episode, you'll probably be able to guess what will happen. I'm not a very mysterious author ^_^.  
  
Oh! And all the Dark Kingdom names are minerals. I looked them up... so even if they look really weird or stupid, they do fit with the Dark Kingdom theme.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. No, really. I know you don't believe me, but it's true! Would I lie to you?  
  
Any comments are appreciated! (bunny28@hehe.com -- hint, hint ^_- )  
  
Princess of Power  
Chapter 1  
By Bunny  
Rated: G  
  
*********  
  
"General Apatite!" Spinel's voice roared through the halls. Soft footsteps could be heard as a young girl of sixteen or seventeen rushed in. Her face was hardened from years of service to the Dark Kingdom, and she exuded power. She quickly kneeled in front of the throne, not caring that she was ruining her gray general's uniform.  
  
"Yes, my lord?"  
  
"I hear rumors of an uprising in the region of Curosus. I want you to put an end to it."  
  
A strange glint sparkled in her eyes as she raised her head.  
  
"Those who are not loyal to the Dark Kingdom will not survive. You can trust me."  
  
"Good. Then I do not expect to see you until every last one of the rebels have been captured. Understood?" At her nod, he waved his hand in dismissal. "Then you are dismissed."  
  
A few moments after General Apatite had left the room, a skimpily clad woman came to stand next to Spinel's throne.  
  
"Such a good girl."  
  
Spinel smiled.  
  
"You did well, Opal."  
  
A low, deliberate, laugh came from her throat. "Such fools, they are. Soon the entire galaxy will fall, and only the Dark Kingdom will remain!"  
  
"With all the success we've been having here on the Sun, I am sure that Metallica will put me in charge of the galaxy, ahead of that incompetent fool, Beryl. She has accomplished next to nothing on the Moon, while I rule all of the Sun."  
  
"And we have General Apatite."  
  
"Yes, Opal. We have General Apatite. That, above anything else, should secure my position."  
  
Opal smirked and moved to sit in Spinel's lap.  
  
"Such a good girl."  
  
*********  
  
"The Royal Council of the Moon is now convened. All rise for Her Majesty Queen Serenity."  
  
The entire assembly stood in respect for the monarch. Queen Serenity carried herself with the grace and elegance that only a queen could possess. When she sat down in her throne, everyone else followed, for it was not proper to stand higher than the queen.  
  
"I have called the Council into session," Serenity began, "because of the grave circumstances of the universe. The Dark Kingdom is organizing another attack, and I fear that this time we shall not win quite so easily. We will need to combine our forces and prepare for the worst."  
  
"But your majesty, the Dark Kingdom has no power that can withstand your own," spoke up the King of Venus, "The forces of the Moon Kingdom are unequaled anywhere in the universe."  
  
"Perhaps that was true a year ago," Sailor Mars snapped, "But the constant attacks by the Dark Kingdom are taking their toll. Our forces are weak."  
  
"But surely we haven't fallen so far," Sailor Mercury worried.  
  
"I am not speaking of our forces in sheer numbers. They have assets that might secure their victory before we even begin."  
  
"You speak of the legendary Silver Crystal?" asked Prince Endymion, prince of Earth.  
  
"Yes, in part. If the Dark Kingdom has somehow found the Silver Crystal, the consequences will be severe."  
  
"But how do we know that they have it? The crystal has been missing for years! It may never be found." Sailor Jupiter pointed out.  
  
"Maybe it has yet to be found," the Queen of Saturn whispered, "But the crystal is so powerful... many will seek it, and someone will eventually find it."  
  
"This is rubbish," Zoicite sniffed. "Why worry about a hidden stone when we have an army ready to attack us?"  
  
"Because this 'stone', as you call it, wields more power than the combined forces of all the armies in the entire universe," Kunzite admonished sternly.  
  
"Well if your armies had been able to protect it in the first place, this never would have happened!" Sailor Uranus spat out.  
  
"I didn't see the senshi save the crystal, either!"  
  
"You-"  
  
"Enough!" Queen Serenity stood and looked the table over. "I did not call this meeting to listen to you bicker among yourselves. We have a kingdom to defend, and that is what we are going to do. What happened in the past is gone and forgotten. We cannot change the fact that the crystal is missing, but we can save our people. However, we can only do that if we work together. Are we all agreed?"  
  
They nodded their heads.  
  
"Then we shall proceed as planned. We must now discuss our military strategy. Prince Endymion, if your armies could -"  
  
"If I may interrupt, Your Majesty?" Sailor Pluto stood up. All eyes fell on her, for she never spoke up about anything, too afraid that she would disturb the natural course of events by meddling in the affairs of state. And she would never, ever interrupt the queen.  
  
"Speak, Pluto."  
  
"Prince Endymion has no place in these affairs. He has no business in protecting the Moon."  
  
Prince Endymion narrowed his eyes. "My planet has signed a treaty with the Moon. We are obligated to protect the Moon Kingdom."  
  
"Queen Serenity, if you would please..."  
  
"Sailor Pluto, I don't understand why Endymion should not be involved in the military affairs. He is the most accomplished military officer in the entire Solar System!"  
  
Pluto merely gave Serenity a look that said, "You don't know all that you think you do. Leave this up to me."  
  
"Very well," Serenity sighed. "Endymion, you are excused from this meeting until further notice."  
  
Slowly Endymion stood, quite unsure of why he was being dismissed. He knew that his help could have been useful in defeating the Dark Kingdom... so why did he have to put up with this? Because Queen Serenity thinks that Sailor Pluto is infallible, he thought. Well, perhaps not infallible. But she held her in such high regard that she almost always took her advice. What was so special about Pluto that gave Serenity such a high opinion of her?  
  
  
For the next two hours in which the meeting took place, Endymion wandered the halls aimlessly. He was still seething at being put out of the meeting. Anything that went on in that meeting would have a direct affect on his future. He wanted a say in it!   
  
During this aimless wandering, he came across a hall that he had never been down before. Curious, and with nothing better to do, he wandered down the hall. There were no rooms for a long time. All he could see was the tall, marble walls that seemed to go on forever. He finally turned a corner to see a door at the end. The door was open, and Endymion could see a strange light coming from inside.  
  
He had the strange feeling that he shouldn't be there, but as the hall hadn't been blocked and the door was open...  
  
"Oh, why not," he asked aloud, his voice sounding eerily hollow. He cautiously entered the room. The light he had seen from the hallway was coming from a strange-looking computer. There was no other furniture in the room except for a chair... and Sailor Pluto.  
  
"I've been waiting for you, Prince Endymion." (AN: did that sound like Star Wars to anyone else? "I've been waiting for you, Obi-Wan")  
  
"What do you want, Pluto." Pluto raised an eyebrow at the accusing tone in his voice.  
  
"I need your help, Prince of Earth."  
  
"My help?" He laughed derisively. "What would you need my help for?"  
  
"I need you to save the universe." For a moment he just felt angry and confused. Then he realized that he might want to say something.  
  
"How do you expect me to save the universe?" Pluto moved over to the computer and typed something in on the wall-mounted keyboard.  
  
"I need you to find the Princess."  
  
"I know a lot of princesses, Pluto, but I don't believe that any of them are lost."  
  
"That is not quite true, Prince."  
  
Endymion sighed. "If you would please get to the point. I don't have much patience with you right now."  
  
"Gladly," she smiled. Endymion inwardly seethed, furious that she could seem so amused by this.  
  
"Prince Endymion, I need you to find Princess Serenity, Princess of the Moon and daughter to Queen Serenity."  
  
Endymion laughed. "Pluto, are you expecting me to believe that Queen Serenity, who was never married, has a daughter and that I am supposed to find her?"  
  
"That is exactly what I mean, Prince Endymion," Pluto paused for effect. "And not only that, but you are the only one who can find her, because she is your wife."  
  
*********  
  
Well, that was my pathetic attempt at a cliffhanger. But what can you expect? It's my first attempt at a fic! So are you curious yet? Why doesn't Endymion know about Serenity? Why can't he remember that they were married? And why is this crazy woman asking me all these dumb questions?!  
  
Hmm... not much going on yet. It'll get more interesting next time, I promise. This won't be a very long story. Probably 4 or 5 chapters at MOST.  
  
I hope you like, and please, please, please give me feedback! This is by no means set in stone. I will change whatever I need to to make this a better fic!  
  
Thanks so much!  
  
Bunny ^_^  
  
  
"One kind kiss before we part,  
Drop a tear and bid adieu;  
Though we sever, my fond heart  
Till we meet shall pant for you."  
  
Robert Dodsley (1703-1764): The Parting Kiss  



	2. Chapter 2

Hello, minna! It's been a while since you've seen this one, hasn't it? I want to thank   
Hikari Takamisha for reviewing this fic and reminding me to update it. ^_^  
  
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon n'appartient pas à moi -- that's french for "Sailor Moon doesn't   
belong to me" (just in case you were wondering! ^_~)  
  
Princess of Power  
by Star Bunny  
rated: PG  
  
Chapter 2  
  
"She's my WHAT?!"  
  
Endymion stared at Sailor Pluto as if she had grown an extra head. Pluto,  
who was still only one-headed, just looked amused.  
  
"She is your wife." Endymion stared blankly at her.  
  
"That's it? That's all you're going to tell me? What is going on here?"  
  
"Prince Endymion, surely you have heard of the Lunar tradition to marry off  
the heiress while she is still in her infancy?"  
  
"Well, sure, but Queen Serenity never -"  
  
"Don't interrupt me! As I was saying, the heiress to the Moon Kingdom is  
married before she is a year old. The reason for this is to ensure her  
safety throughout her life. In Lunar marriages, the couple is bonded  
together. They form a soul bond that cannot be broken. That is why you  
are the only one who can save Princess Serenity. You are the only one who  
can find her and convince her that you are not crazy."  
  
"Well I'm sure not the crazy one here," he muttered to himself.   
Unfortunately, Pluto overheard him. She gave him a stern look.  
  
"Princess Serenity is very powerful. She will be a very influential power  
in the universe, wherever she is. We need her help and support to ensure  
victory and the survival of the Moon Kingdom."  
  
"So why didn't we find her before?"  
  
"Because you were not ready to find her. She has been heavily guarded for  
the past sixteen years. No one knows where she is except for me."  
  
"Why didn't you tell anyone? I thought you wanted to save her?"  
  
"It would disturb the timeline," she simply said.  
  
Endymion paced about the room. He was utterly confused about the whole  
situation. There was a Moon Princess, whom he knew nothing about, and not  
only that, he was married to her! The one question that kept lurking in  
his mind was,  
  
"Why did I never know about her? Why did Queen Serenity never mention her?"  
  
"You have never heard about her because Queen Serenity and I are the only  
ones who remember her. Serenity erased the princess from everyone's  
memory just after she was kidnapped. It was her first act of magic without  
using the Silver Crystal, and it drained her of any further power."  
  
"Pluto... I can't understand all of this. How can I even be sure that you  
are telling me the truth? You tell me that I am married to a girl that I  
don't even remember. This is not easy to take in."  
  
"You know she's out there."  
  
"But how?" Endymion shook his head in frustration.  
  
"You know she's there, Endymion. You can feel the void in your heart  
because she is not with you. You can feel her calling to you from wherever  
she is, and you feel pulled to her. Every part of you yearns for her and  
wants her to be with you. Admit it to yourself. Only then can you save  
her."  
  
With every word that Pluto spoke, Endymion found himself believing. For as  
long as he could remember, he had felt empty, as though a part of him were  
missing... and then there was that voice from his dreams, the voice of the  
one who could take away all his pain. He wondered if that voice might  
belong to this princess Pluto spoke of. But he still had no idea where to  
look for her.  
  
"All right, Pluto. I will look for her."  
  
Pluto smiled and pointed to the computer.  
  
"Good. Now in you go!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"This computer will transport you to the area where she lives. You may  
have to search for her, but you will find her easily enough if you follow  
your heart."  
  
"You mean that I must go alone? Why can't you help me?"  
  
"It would alter the timeline." With that said, she shoved him rather  
roughly into the pulsing light.  
  
Endymion felt his body lose feeling before crashing down in a grassy  
meadow. He cautiously picked himself up, all too aware of the aching in  
his body from the fall.  
  
The next instant he was overwhelmed with a feeling of utter loneliness and  
pain. Somehow he was aware that this feeling did not come from him, but it  
was being transmitted to him from someone else. Probably the princess,  
his mind vaguely registered.  
  
Upon glancing around to get his bearings, he realized that he had no idea  
where he was. He could be in another galaxy, for all he knew. Up ahead he  
saw a path that seemed to lead to a village. It seemed to be as good a  
plan as any.  
  
Just then, he realized that he was carrying something in his hand. Where  
did this come from, he wondered. Pluto. he rolled his eyes. She must  
have thought that it would be helpful in finding the princess. He studied  
the object closely. Maybe it was a compass of some sort. He opened it up,  
but it didn't appear to do anything important. What a useless little...  
star thingie.  
  
He tossed it into some nearby bushes, but after thinking it over, he  
decided that it might be better to keep the star thing with him on his  
search. Pluto must have known what she was doing, at least somewhat. So  
he dug through the bushes and undergrowth until he found it, and then  
headed down a path that seemed to lead to a village.  
  
As he walked along, he was struck at how empty it was. He had been walking  
down the same path the whole time and had yet to see another person. Maybe  
he was going the wrong way. Maybe he should have gone the other way on the  
path. But no, something told him that this was the way he should be going.  
His suspicions were confirmed when he turned a corner to see a huge,  
foreboding building in front of him. He could literally feel her inside.   
They must be holding her captive there. I need to free her! He began to  
form a plan to get inside.  
  
~~~ ~~~ ~~~  
  
General Apatite wandered through the dark halls of the Fortress. She was  
immensely pleased with herself for all that she had done in suppressing the  
rebellion in Curosus. The citizens of the region were terrified with her -  
and why shouldn't they be? She was THE General Apatite, the daughter of  
the great Opal. And, as most people whispered, most likely the daughter of  
Spinel. Why else would he show her such favor? She was the champion of  
the Dark Kingdom forces on the Sun. And she was only sixteen.  
  
She smirked to herself. They'd better be afraid, she thought. No one  
rebels against the Dark Kingdom and gets away with it. Not while I am  
around. She then proceeded to go visit the dungeons, sure that Spinel  
would be pleased with the prisoners she had captured. As she walked around  
the dungeon, she saw many faces that had been there for years. She almost  
felt sorry for some of them, especially the ones who had been there for as  
long as she could remember. The dungeon was a terrible place, and she  
would have hated to live there. But these people were traitors to the Dark  
Kingdom, and they deserved everything they received.  
  
There was one prisoner in particular that Apatite felt extremely bad about  
keeping there. This girl had been in the dungeon for years - probably for  
as long as Apatite had been alive. This poor girl had not seen light in  
almost sixteen years, and the only reason she was not in total darkness was  
because of a strange crescent moon on her forehead that emitted a soft  
glow. She seemed harmless enough, Apatite mused, but it was forbidden to  
associate with prisoners, and Spinel was extremely strict about enforcing  
that rule with this particular prisoner. Such a pity, too. Apatite was  
sure that she would have made a good friend.  
  
Apatite left the dungeon subdued and depressed, like she always did. At  
times she wondered why she even bothered going there. She was always drawn  
to that strange girl with the crescent moon, and she always ended up  
feeling sorry for her. She shouldn't torture herself like that, but  
sometimes she just couldn't help herself.  
  
She wasn't paying much attention as she rounded a corner, and she ran smack  
into someone. She looked up to see the most handsome man she had ever  
laid eyes on. He offered her his hand to help her up. She gulped nervously before  
accepting.  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, suddenly feeling very flirtatious.  
  
"Excuse me," he murmured before brushing past her and walking away.   
Apatite inwardly seethed. Who was this man who had no regard for her?   
Every man in the Fortress, single or otherwise, worshipped her. How dare this man   
merely brush past her! She tossed her hair behind her shoulders and took off after him.   
She would teach him a lesson he would not soon forget!  
  
"Excuse me, sir," she said in her haughtiest voice. "I do not believe  
we've met. Which command are you in?" She saw him falter for a moment  
before replying in a smooth voice,  
  
"Whichever command you'd wish me to be in." Apatite's insides melted as he  
gave her a to-die-for smile. She sighed, satisfied that she had won yet  
another heart, and decided that since she liked this one, she would forgive  
him for initially disrespecting her.  
  
"What is your name?"  
  
"Mamoru," Endymion replied, having expected this question to come up. It  
wouldn't do for him to be announcing that he was the Prince of Earth. No  
matter where he was, he couldn't be very popular to the people who had  
kidnapped the princess.  
  
"Mamoru," she purred. "That is a strong name." Endymion, who was a bit  
unnerved by her attentions, made a quick decision that this girl could help  
him find the princess and he should put up with her.  
  
"And you would be?"  
  
Apatite narrowed her eyes and set her mouth. How dare this man not know  
who she was? Why, everyone at the Fortress knew who she was! Even most of  
the enemy - she paused in her reasoning, realizing for the first time that  
this man was not wearing a Dark Kingdom uniform. He did not carry any  
weapons, and she had never seen him before. She put on her most  
flirtatious smile.  
  
"My name is Apatite."  
  
"It is truly a pleasure to know you, Apatite."  
  
"The pleasure is all mine," she smirked as she swiftly pulled out her gun and held it  
to his chest. "Now tell me who you really are, if you wish to live!"  
  
"I told you, my name is Mamoru." Endymion really wasn't afraid of this  
girl. He knew that he could overpower her if it came down to that. But  
more importantly, he didn't think that she would harm him.  
  
"Sure you're Mamoru. And I'm General Apatite, commanding officer of the  
Dark Kingdom forces on the Sun! I am advising you to speak now, for I have  
little patience for traitors. What are you doing here?"  
  
On a gut instinct that told him that this girl had good intentions and did  
not wish to harm him, he decided to tell her the truth… or at least part of  
it.  
  
"I am searching for my wife. I was told that she was a prisoner here, and  
I came to look for her. I am neither a spy nor the enemy. I only want my  
wife back."  
  
"Better come up with a better story, buster. Now make your decision NOW -  
the truth or your life!" With surprising strength she pushed him up  
against the wall, still holding the gun to his chest.  
  
"Everything I said is true."  
  
"Prove it. Who is your wife? What is her name?" Endymion almost laughed  
at the irony of the situation. He couldn't tell her who his wife was  
*because he didn't know himself*! How many men were there who didn't know  
what their wives looked like? But what would it hurt to tell her? No one  
would believe that the Moon Princess had been - and maybe still was - his  
wife.  
  
"Why the Princess of the Moon, of course." Apatite growled savagely and  
pulled the trigger. Endymion slumped into her arms.  
  
"Too bad you couldn't tell me the truth, *Mamoru*," she remarked snidely. "Now the   
Moon Princess can no more be your wife than I can."  
  
~~~ ~~~ ~~~  
  
Oh no! What's going to happen to Endymion?! How will he save Princess  
Serenity?! And why did Apatite have to be so mean? : ( All these answers  
and more, in the next chapter of Princess of Power!! Stay tuned… Hehe!   
  
Please don't flame me for that horrid ending… I'm trying to be good. Think  
happy thoughts!  
  
All questions and comments can be directed to bunny28@h...  
  
  
Bunny ^_^  
  



	3. Chapter 3

Hello, faithful readers! I hope you are enjoying my neat little fic. I  
certainly am! ^_^ It has been so easy to write, too. I sat down and wrote  
this chapter straight through in about an hour.  
  
And don't worry about poor Endymion-sama. I wouldn't do any permanent  
damage to my future husband ^_~  
  
This chapter focuses mostly on General Apatite, but don't get bored! This  
chapter is very important to the plot. This chapter is also very short,  
but I felt that I had to end it where I did. This is where I almost ended  
the last chapter, so you can think of those two chapters as one big one if  
you want to ^_^ ! There will only be one or two more chapters; this isn't  
a very long fic. Enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or She-ra. Did you have to ruin my day  
by reminding me of that?  
  
  
Princess of Power  
Chapter 3  
  
  
Apatite lay sprawled out on her bed, thinking about what she had become.   
She was horrified at how callous and self-centered was. How could she have  
gotten so mad at that poor man Mamoru just because he didn't know who she  
was. She had shot him because he had hurt her ego. True, her gun had  
only  
been set for stun (AN: cheesy, I know, but I'm basing this off of an 80's  
cartoon – what can you expect?), but she had lashed out at him for  
absolutely no reason at all. She hadn't even given him a chance to explain  
himself. Sure, she was fairly certain that he had snuck into the Fortress,  
but he had seemed nice enough. If she were honest with herself, she would  
admit that she had even trusted him!  
  
Now he was in the hands of the prison guards, and she was sure that word  
would soon get out to Spinel, who was sure to punish him harshly. Apatite  
could not live with the guilt of harming him. Something deep in her soul  
told her that she needed to protect this man's life with her own. But why?  
What could possibly be so important about this… this Mamoru that she would  
need to protect him?  
  
One thing Apatite was sure of, and that was that she needed to at least try  
to fix the situation. Groaning, she rolled out of her bed, checked the  
clock (long after she should have been asleep), and headed down to the  
dungeon.  
  
On the way there, she passed by the throne room. Spinel and Opal were  
talking in hushed voices, and they sounded angry. Being the curious girl  
that she had always been, Apatite decided to listen in for a while to  
determine if they had heard about Mamoru yet.  
  
"…very dangerous if she finds out," Spinel was saying.  
  
"But she won't. We will make sure of that!"  
  
"I will have no one ruin my plans. Not even the Prince of Earth."  
  
"But how could he have found her? I thought no one remembered that there  
was a princess."  
  
"Queen Serenity remembers, and that would be enough. After all, Endymion  
was married to her."  
  
"But what did he say to her? Did he give anything away?"  
  
"I don't think he had the chance to. The guards said that Apatite subdued  
him before he could accomplish anything."  
  
Apatite gasped softly from her hiding place behind a column. So he *had*  
been telling the truth! Well, sort of. Mamoru was actually Endymion… and  
he had been married to the princess of the moon!  
  
Her mind began working overtime, and she soon came up with an image of the  
prisoner with the crescent moon on her forehead. Apatite had never seen or  
heard anything about the moon kingdom, but she was sure that this girl must  
be the princess. Why else would she be locked up away from everyone, and  
why else would Spinel have placed such a security block on her?  
  
Apatite quickly left the room, on a mission and careful not to be noticed  
by Opal or Spinel. She ran through the halls and into the dungeon. She  
followed the dark corridors to the cell where the princess was. She peered  
through the bars at her and found her sitting on the dirty rock that they  
tried to pass off as a bench. She sat with poise and dignity. Her  
crescent moon emitted enough light so that Apatite could see the princess's  
pretty face and unusual hairstyle.  
  
So this is Prince Endymion's wife, she thought sadly to herself,  
overwhelmed with jealousy. She had been raised to act rashly to her  
feelings, and therefore her first reaction to her jealous thoughts was to  
leave the princess in the cell to rot out the rest of her days.  
  
But she couldn't bring herself to do that. As much as she hated herself  
for doing this, she wanted Endymion and his princess to be happy together.   
It was wrong of the Dark Kingdom to rob that from them. And if Endymion  
had been telling the truth… he had lost his wife over 16 years ago! No  
matter what they had done, it was wrong to break up a family like that.  
  
For the first time in her life, Apatite realized that both Spinel and the  
Dark Kingdom could be wrong. Maybe she had even been on the wrong side her  
entire life! She thought of all the people whose lives she had destroyed,  
and for the first time she was honest with herself. She had never been  
given a reason to arrest them or burn down their village; she had blindly  
followed orders. What if she had been wrong?  
  
Guilt-ridden and emotional, she took off at top speed for the room where  
she knew the prince was being kept. It was commonly referred to as the  
torture room, the room where the most dangerous criminals were kept, and  
where soldiers were punished. Usually an entire regiment of troops kept  
watch over whatever dangerous creature was in there, but this time there  
was only one guard, and he looked very distracted. Apatite was shocked.  
  
But he's so strong! Do they honestly expect him not to escape? Her  
answer came when she realized that he had been hooked up to an  
energy-draining machine, and that he was hovering close to death. Apatite  
had never seen them use the machine to actually kill someone! Once or  
twice, she had been hooked up to the machine for punishment. She knew how  
painful it was, but she could only imagine how it felt to have your energy  
drained for hours at a time with the machine on at full power.  
  
How can I help? she wondered absently. The guard wouldn't be too hard to  
overpower. All she had to do was to sneak up on him.  
  
One well-aimed kick to the back of the neck took care of him, and he was  
lying at her feet unconscious. Then she turned her attention to Endymion.  
  
She wasn't sure how to free him without sounding the alarms. Spinel and  
Opal weren't stupid. They had placed alarm systems all around and in the  
machine. She spotted an object on a nearby table that also seemed to be  
connected to some type of computer. It appeared to be a star of some sort  
strung on a chain. Curious, she went over to examine it. She did not  
touch it, for fear of setting off the alarms, but she found herself  
wondering what this had to do with the prince and why it was so special.  
  
She turned to look at him. He looked tired and drained, and his face was  
pinched in pain. He was unconscious, and yet he would moan in pain every  
few moments. It broke her heart to see him in so much pain, and it was all  
her fault.  
  
She sat down, back against the wall, and began to cry for the first time in  
her life. She wished with all her might that she could do something to  
help him. Tear after tear fell down her face until all that she could hear  
were her own gut-wrenching sobs.  
  
She was jerked out of her depression by the sound of cracking metal and the  
alarms going off. Disoriented, she looked up to see the room encased in an  
ethereal glow and the machine lying in pieces on the floor. Prince  
Endymion was standing up amid the wreckage staring at her in astonishment.   
He slowly crossed the room and knelt beside her.  
  
"Princess Serenity?"  
  
~~~ ~~~ ~~~  
  
Wow! General Apatite is Princess Serenity? Okay, be honest. Who actually  
guessed that before now? Anyone? Everyone? Let me know! I'm curious…  
  
I promise that the next part will be out very soon. I hope that there are  
still some people still reading this…  
  
  
  
Bunny ^_^  
bunny28@hehe.com 


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